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Astrid Hawke
Astrid Rosalin Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall, talented mage, and case study in using humor to cope, is infamous for her ability to mess absolutely everything up. Overview Physical Appearance Astrid has straight, spiky black hair she keeps cropped short and somehow still in her eyes. She has has pale, freckly skin, bright blue eyes and a very tall (about 5'11"), skinny figure. Personality Astrid Hawke--where to start? First off, Hawke reacts to almost any situation with humor. She loves to joke about everything happy and morbid, and the desperation at which she uses humor increases as she copes with the loss of her sister, mother and friends. Astrid has always been rather impatient, undisciplined and impulsive. However, being an older sister has encouraged her to look after her family. When it comes to Leandra and Carver, Astrid is deeply protective--even when Carver is being a little shit. Losing her family feels like a personal failure. Astrid loves a hedonistic lifestyle. That is, she loves sex and alcohol and spending her nights at the tavern. She knows her limits, unlike her uncle, but a good night never hurt anyone. Or, well, usually never. 'Talents and Skills' * Hawke is a terrible lier, but she makes up for it with enthusiasm * Likewise she's great at getting herself into crises * Astrid is actually a very talented fighter, magic or no. Living in Kirkwall, she spent years hiding her magic. She can use that staff with or without spells, you know. * She's a pretty good storyteller. Catch her at the Hanged Man with Varric, shooting the shit. Biography History Born in 9:13 Dragon to Leandra and Malcolm Hawke, an apostate mage, Astrid had a happy, calm childhood. Her father taught her how to fight and use her magic at an early age, more out of necessity of hiding than of true expectation she'd use her magic consistently. More of a skilled combatant than a mage, her magic form would be considered crude by Circle Mage standards, but she's uniquely resourceful and determined. Due to growing up in an apostate family, Astrid has always been skeptical of authority and felt her life was something to be kept private. Astrid was raised in Lothering until 9:30, when the Blight forced her remaining family to relocate to Kirkwall, where she, her brother Carver, and her mother stayed with their good-for-nothing uncle, Gamlen. From then on, Astrid would work odd jobs to put bread on the table. These "odd jobs" would often involve petty thievery, deceit, or swindling, but rarely included murder. In-game If you ask people around Kirkwall, each would have something different to say about Astrid Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall. Some would give you an anecdote about a time she helped saved their son from hunting Templars. Others would tell you she could put away beers so easily that she was known as the Champion not for some wish-wash about Qunari or Templars, but because she'd win every yearly drinking contest. Others still would tell you she was a good-for-nothing thief or murderer or opportunist, whose gang were known for the worst crimes and plunging Kirkwalll into chaos. In her time in Kirkwall, Hawke would often act in ways that she felt would produce the best results. She never wanted to murder or steal, but she would if she felt she needed to for the sake of her friends or family. She often regarded things with a sense of humor or sarcasm, often hiding behind jokes to hide her true feelings. As the death toll around her started to add up, and her family became smaller and smaller, her humor became a dangerously ill-fitting coping mechanism. Her anger and aggression rose, and Astrid, at many points, became someone she didn't recognize. She began a romance with Isabela, who she found irresistible. The two started as a non-serious fling, but became something more. Post-game After Anders blew up the chantry, Varric used the last of his goodwill in the city to sneak Hawke out. She fled to other cities in the Free Marches, Orlais for a bit, and then at last Fereldan, where she hid in caves and barn lofts, writing letters and impatiently waiting for news. She felt rather forgotten, but was still grieving the loss of her former life. Astrid also blamed herself for Anders, and the now fully-fledged Mage-Templar war. After the Divine was murdered and the breach formed, she joined up with the Inquisition to help string back all of the chaos. She was, at first, very skeptical of this Circle Mage Inquisitor, who must be some sort of pathetic puppet of the Chantry or aristocracy. She was pleasantly surprised to be wrong, and eventually came to respect Sabel Trevelyan for her efforts to fight back the breach. After they were plunged in the Fade, Hawke somehow survived at the behest of Stroud, who she saw as another life taken by her own mangling of the situation. She went back into hiding, though perhaps more reckless this time. She had found new goals: to protect the world from this new threat, Solas, and to not let another life be lost from underneath her. She also reconnects with Isabela, who's been separated from her for some time. The two reunite a bit awkwardly, but pick things back up again in the aftermath. Relationships Astrid's truest and greatest friend is Varric, who gets her on a level even they can't quite put words to, even if they wanted to. They clicked almost immediately, growing closer through the constant bullshit they're both put through. Her relationship with her family is more complicated. Astrid was always closer to her father, Macolm, than her mother. But when he died early on, Astrid became the de-facto leader of the family, earning the most money and training her younger sibling, Bethany, in magic. Her authority and eventual fame rubbed on Carver, who desperately wanted to be recognized for something other than "Hawke's little brother." His tenure in the Wardens was unwelcome at first, but later became a way for him to grow out from Astrid's shadow. In many ways, he blames her for their mother's death and his enrollment in the Wardens, and she knows this. She feels nothing but sorrow for the way her actions, either directly or indirectly, have affected her family, and blames herself for their fates. At the end of the day, her family was and is the most important thing to her, and by the time of Inquisition, she struggles to maintain a relationship with her last surviving family member, Carver. Her found-family includes Isabela, who is bright, bold, and turns Astrid on like no one else. Their relationship starts out uneven, prickly, non-committal, but turns into something unlike either have really felt before. She adores Isabella for her insight, stubbornness and sense of humor. They briefly separate after the chantry explosion, not because of any lost love but due to the very fragile situation. Hawke goes into hiding, only coming out after the breach opened. The two later reconnect, and pick up where they left off. She also loves spending time annoying Aveline, and while she'd never admit this, she respects Aveline perhaps more than anyone. Her relationship with Fenris is a complicated one, and one that perhaps could have been something more. However, she now regards him as a very close friend, one who she can always go to for advice, support, and good company. Her more complicated relationships include Anders, who she will not speak about unless in close company. She regards his last action as a betrayal of their friendship and of magekind. However, she also blames herself for not seeing the warning signs and of somehow helping him more. She also has a tense relationship with Merrill, as she strongly disagreed with her blood magic adventures. Astrid likes running to Sebastian's house in the middle of the night so she can make him answer the door in his nightgown. She just loves seeing him in his nun gown. Miscellaneous * Hawke loves ale, beer, wine, rum, whiskey, coffee, lemonade...she does not like milk. * Hawke's favorite colors are black and red, but she actually thinks she looks best in green. * Her favorite season is summer, mostly because she can't stand wearing clothes. * Not to say she's a total nudist but...well, she does rather like being nude, doesn't she? * Hawke invented "Be gay, do crimes." * When she hears about a Circle Mage leading some sort of Inquisition, all she can do is roll her eyes and imagine some stuffy, puppet mage. She's rather surprised to learn more about Sabel Trevelyan, and they develop an unlikely friendship. 'Links' Reddit Headcanon Threads: None so far. I don't write much about Astrid. Reddit Writing prompt Threads: None so far. Non-Reddit links (AO3, DeviantArt, Tumblr): Pinterest board Gallery Category:Hawke Category:Mage Category:Isabela Romance Category:Human Category:Thesteward